WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 30: A view of the White House is photographed through the gate on July 30, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Joshua Roberts/Getty Images)

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White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters Wednesday afternoon that “general” tours of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. are “labor intensive operations” and will remain closed due to the sequester.

“The decision has been made to cancel the general tours,” Carney explained. “As the president said in his interview [on Tuesday with ABC], he’s asked the White House to consult with the Secret Service to see if there’s any way to provide limited tours to school groups or others — that’s being reviewed.”

“These are labor intensive operations that require thousands of man hours by the Secret Service,” Carney said, “and the decision was made that given the unhappy set of choices sequester presented to the Secret Service, that this was the best option.”